Grounding Help!! :(

[DJSlowfets]

I need advice from you guys everyone I ask is in a car audio shop and they see a kid that doesnt know how to fix his problem so they try to sell me things that I dont need! Heres my problem have a 2002 malibu stock battery and alternator no extra battery nothing. STOCK! With an Sundown E12 v2 powered by an Alpine MRV-M500. When playing music at the volume I like my head lights dim pretty bad it coincides with the bass drops when I have a low bass line it dims until that note drops. But everyone online and shops around me says almost every car stock can handle about 1000 watts rms past that you need to start upgrading your electrical componets. So why are my headlights dimming with half that power?? The ONLY two things I can think of is my ground wire length or where im grounded. Now I did go to bare metal where I grounded but im wondering if the piece of metal isnt the right place to ground ( So did it right just not in the right place) Or my ground wire is to long its 3 foot and 4 gauge cca my power and ground are 4 gauge. Amp it sub is 12 gauge ofc. So I uploaded pics of where im grounded and the only other two places I can think to ground in my trunk. The tire picture is obviously the compartment of my spare tire and the other place is just part of the fender well I believe but I see a factory bolt and nut so I thought that could be a good place to ground?? Please help!! Thank you in advance //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

View attachment 26548066View attachment 26548067View attachment 26548068

Click to read more...

 

[Sleeklsc 5,000+ posts]

Ground looks ok, that length shouldn't be an issue either but shorter the better. I've never used cca but 4awg to that amp should be enough.

What is you're gain set to?

Edit:

I understand the length of the ground might be useful so that you can move it around w/o disconnecting anything....But I'd find a shorter length and ground to this to kill 2 birds with one stone, or just move your existing ground to it.

 

[DJSlowfets]

Gain set to 3/4 full and where to that factory nut and bolt??

 

[Sleeklsc 5,000+ posts]

Gain set to 3/4 full and where to that factory nut and bolt??

There's your first problem, gain should not be set above half. I'll also add that the use of "loudness" "Bass boost" or any other bass enhancers are going to make the problem worse. Turn the gain down and deactivate any bass enhancers.

Do above before you worry about that ground, I was assuming the amp was setup correctly.

 

[DJSlowfets]

Ok thank you ! Ill try that gain recommendation and ground to that factory bolt think that will do it ? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[bmk6795 10+ year member]

Ok thank you ! Ill try that gain recommendation and ground to that factory bolt think that will do it ? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Also headlights can be incredibly sensitive to voltage drop causing them to dim. Mine dimmed with as little as .3 voltage drop. If you want an easy way to get rid of dimming completely you could look into a set of hids.

 

[Sleeklsc 5,000+ posts]

Also headlights can be incredibly sensitive to voltage drop causing them to dim. Mine dimmed with as little as .3 voltage drop. If you want an easy way to get rid of dimming completely you could look into a set of hids.

So instead of dimming he'll be blinding oncoming drivers...Brilliant.

 

[bmk6795 10+ year member]

So instead of dimming he'll be blinding oncoming drivers...Brilliant.

Not all hids blind oncoming traffic. I've had a quite a few sets that havent. Now the 10ks that i use now are bright as fuck. I like em, makes me not get pissed off when people pull out in front of me.

 

[Sleeklsc 5,000+ posts]

Not all hids blind oncoming traffic. I've had a quite a few sets that havent. Now the 10ks that i use now are bright as fuck. I like em, makes me not get pissed off when people pull out in front of me.

I understand that. But if he doesn't know how to properly set up his amp, what makes you think he'll know how to properly aim the hids.....in a incorrect housing.

P.s. The higher the kelvin the lower the output. What you meant to say was...... "Now the 10ks that i use now are Purple as fuck."